Did you know Charles Young was a linguist?
Charles Young arrived in Wilberforce in 1894 on a detached assignment. He was tasked with starting the military and tactics training courses at Wilberforce University. But being an accomplished linguist, he also taught five languages. He taught Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, and German. His knowledge of languages helped him during his military service. He knew Spanish, which would have helped him while traveling through Mexico during the Punitive Expedition. He knew French, which would have helped him as an attaché in Haiti while adjusting to Haitian society. While in Haiti, he authored a French-English-Creole dictionary and grammar book for the military.
Charles Young’s children were also linguists. His children went to boarding schools in France and Belgium. His daughter, Marie Young, taught music, French, and German at Jackson State University in Mississippi and Wilberforce University. His son Charles Noel Young taught Agriculture and German at Central State University in Ohio. He was also proficient in Russian.
Photo Description: Photograph of Charles Young and his family. Pictured left to right: Charles Noel Young, Marie Aurelia Young, Ada Mills Young, and Charles Young, courtesy of the National African American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio.
